A look at ZPMC: how it came to dominate ports around the world; its role in Chinese foreign policy; and the consequences of its links to the Chinese state.
A ZPMC ship carrying gantry cranes destined for Husky Terminal at the Port of Tacoma, Washington, March 6, 2019. Credit: The Northwest Seaport Alliance
On March 29, 2013, in the middle of a large loading dock at the port of Miami, former U.S. President Barack Obama was set to deliver a key speech on promoting U.S. infrastructure development. But minutes before his speech started, a big gust of wind blew off an American flag that had been strapped to one of the container cranes.
An event staffer quickly tried to fix it, but gave up and took the flag away. Now, observers could see the label behind it: “ZPMC” and the Chinese characters “振华” — which stood for Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, a crane manufacturer and subsidiary of the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), one of China’s largest state-owned companies.
Then President Obama speaking at the Port of Miami Tunnel project, March 29, 2013. Credit: Tech ARP
Obama’s staffers likely thought that prominently displaying the name of a Chinese company would not jibe with a speech aimed at promoting the strength of American manufacturing. But now,
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
A long line of multinationals are now knocking on India's door. But if there's any chance of them successfully diversifying away from China's highly skilled workforce and well-oiled logistical machine, they'll need to learn from the industries that came before them.
The former Defense Secretary under George W. Bush and Barack Obama talks about Xi Jinping's relations with the PLA, Taiwan and how the U.S. should deal with China and Russia.
The Global Intelligence Platform used by The Wire China
